What We Get Wrong About The Wrath Of God (and what we need to know) — rethink

Originally published at https://rethinknow.org on February 3, 2020.

If you grew up in a more traditional church you probably heard your fair share of sermons about the wrath of God. And if you were like me, those sermons left you terrified with questions you were too scared to ask.

Most Christians simply avoid talking about or even thinking about God’s wrath. Largely because it’s so misunderstood and misrepresented.

Most of what I have seen and heard about the wrath of God has been in the form of a scare tactic trying to frighten people into heaven. Which is not only ineffective, it has left many with a terrible understanding of what the wrath of God really is.

So, let’s look at the wrath of God is and isn’t.

What Does The Bible Say About The Wrath Of God?

Whenever we want to learn more about God the best place to start is the Bible. And the Bible is not shy about talking about the Wrath of God.

I’m not going to look at every passage on wrath. But if you would like a more complete list you can find it here: Bible Verses About The Wrath of God

Here are a few verses that I think encapsulates the many facets of God’s wrath: Romans 1:18–28, Romans 2:5, John 3:36, Ezekiel 33:11, Deuteronomy 9:7, Nahum 1:2–6, Ephesians 5:6, 1 Thessalonians 5:9

What’s easy to see is that the Bible talks a LOT about God’s wrath. And contrary to popular belief the New Testament talks about it just as much as the Old Testament.

What these passages teach us is both what God’s wrath is and also what it isn’t. We will start by looking at what God’s wrath isn’t.

What The Wrath Of God Isn’t

We all read the Bible through the lens of our life experiences. We can’t help it, but we need to acknowledge it. When it comes to the wrath of God we view it through our own understanding of wrath. So before we can look at what God’s wrath is, we need to counter the primary picture most of us have of the wrath of God.